Specter's Awakening
by Maximusace9
Summary: A young man is thrust into the world of Alrest by a mysterious individual. How will he change fate, and how will this world change him? (Xenoblade Chronicles 2 SI)
1. Prologue: Presence

Hello Fanfiction! I'd just like to say a few things before we get started here. Firstly, I'd like to point everyone here towards the fic _This Bites!_ for what is most likely a much better SI than mine could ever be, as well as my inspiration for doing this. Secondly, my chapters will vary in length from absolutely tiny, to I don't even know how long, since I'm pretty new to writing, though this will most likely be the shortest of them all. With those out of the way, time for the disclaimer.

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **I do not own Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or any of the characters in it. All rights to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and its characters belong to Monolith Soft and Nintendo.**

Prologue:

Presence

"What the Hell am I doing with my life?" I question myself, pacing around my room. My name is Cyrus. I'm about 18 years old, with a fairly average build of about 5 foot 10. My sea green eyes look up responding to the question, and I brush some of my black hair out of my face. "I mean honestly, I'm getting this worked up over a character in a game…"

"Well that sounds like a personal problem," A mysterious voice echoes, penetrating the room.

I open my eyes wide, searching the room for the speaker, "Who are you!? What are you doing in my house!?" I ask in a frenzy.

The mysterious individual responds, its amusement clear in its voice, "Well now Cyrus, you can call me a bit of a… benefactor. I am here to give you some power over what happens here…"

"Oh-hoh no. I've seen enough movies to know where this is going. I'm not taking a deal with the devil or any crap like that," I state cautiously.  
"What? NO! I'm not the dev- Look, you know what, I'm just gonna quit the mysterious benefactor shit and cut to the chase." The sound of fingers snapping echoes through the room. On the bed, a figure appears. The figures eyes are a bright blue, his short, blonde hair shining in the sunlight coming through the window. He wears a pair of dark blue jeans, alongside a gray shirt. "I'm from a dimension beyond your comprehension. Quite simply, explaining it to you would probably leave you as a depressed, nihilistic mess of an existence, and no one wants that."

I give the blonde a skeptical look, before asking, "Okay… then why are you here?"

The male on the bed smirks, before answering, "To put it simply, I was bored," Seeing the confusion of the other boy, he continues, "I played that game myself, and quite enjoyed it. It wasn't long, however, before I wanted to see the story again. I didn't want the same story however, oh no. I wanted to see if I could… spice things up a bit."

"What, you mean like ROM hacks?" I question, intrigued.

"No, I mean an entirely new character," The strange blonde responds calmly, "I want to see what would happen if someone with foreknowledge of everything that was to happen was put in."  
Iblink, before asking the obvious question, "What does this have to do with me?"  
A wide grin erupts from the odd young man's face, positively beaming, "What it has to do with you, is that you are the new character!"

The green-eyed young man takes a moment to comprehend this statement for a moment before exclaiming, "WHAT!? ARE YOU INSANE!?"

"Not at all," The clearly amused individual states, "You will be going, after all, you don't have a choice in the matter. However, since I know the dangers of this world as well as you do, I will provide you some assistance, every now and again. After all, I can't have my primary source of entertainment dying on me."

"Alright, fine," I agree, "Since I clearly don't have a choice, I might as well go along with this. So, when do I leave?"

The mysterious blonde's grin erupts once more before he exclaims, "Right now! Have a nice trip!"

"Wait whaaaaAAAAT THE HELLLL!?" And that's the last thing I remember before everything fades to black.


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

Chapter 1:

Awakening

My eyes open, slowly, and I blink a few times before eventually acclimating to the light. I'm in a small cottage, made almost entirely of wood. Looking out to me left, I see a door from the bed I'm in.

"Where… am I…?" I ask myself. As I say this, an older woman with dark skin enters the room.

"Oh! You're awake!" She exclaims in surprise.

"Who are…" I begin before trailing off, noticing a bit more about her appearance. Her graying hair showing her age, as well as her modest clothing. I knew who she was almost immediately.

"My name is Corrine," the woman responded, confirming my theory, "You're in Fonsett Village now," she took a short pause, before continuing, "You're very lucky that Rex found you. If he hadn't, you might have died."

"So… his name was Rex…" I replied slowly, before asking, "Could I… meet him?"

"Of course," the kindly woman said to me, before leaving the room. A few minutes later, she returned, with a younger boy, probably about 10 years old, with golden eyes and brown hair. "This is Rex," she began, "He found you lying on the shore unconscious."

"So… your name is Rex…" I started, looking into the young boy's eyes, "Thank you for saving me…" I continued.

"It's no problem!" the young boy exclaimed, putting a smile on my face.

' _He's just as kind as I thought,'_ I thought to myself before I spoke again, "I can see great things in your future, Rex," I spoke to the young boy, "I know that you will do amazing things."

"I know! I'm gonna help Fonsett Village as much as I can!" The enthusiastic boy exclaims.

I take my time getting out from the bed, before stretching out my limbs to help compensate for their lack of use. Almost immediately after, my stomach growls, "Can I get something to eat?" I ask, "I haven't had anything to eat in a while."

Corrine speaks up, "That shouldn't be a problem dear," she says with a smile on her face, "It's just about time for lunch anyways."

"That would be amazing," I reply thankfully.

"Well then," she begins, "I should get started on that. Come on Rex, we should leave him be for a bit to get his bearings."

"Alright!" The future driver of the Aegis exclaims, "I'll talk to you later, uh… what's your name?"

"Cyrus. My name is Cyrus," I reply to the young boy with a soft smile.

* * *

Over the next few months, while I get my bearings, I help out in Fonsett. Everyone was extremely kind to me, despite knowing almost nothing about me. They even supplied me with clothes, despite how little they have. I now wear a basic pair of cloth pants, torn in the knees from a large amount of use, and the same applies to my shirt, and both of which are fairly dirty from work. I even meet the old Titan, Azurda, who guards the Village Guardian. Eventually however, I know that I have to move on.

"Do ya really have to go?" Rex asks, "I mean, you could stay around here!"

A soft smile adorns my face as I look down at the young boy, "Sorry, Rex, but I know that there's so much more to this world that I have to see," I begin, before looking up to the sky, "But I know that we'll meet again someday. The promise of Elysium will bring us together again."

"I know but," the young boy begins to cry, "It's so hard to see you go."

I crouch down to his level before ruffling his brown hair, "I know you'll be strong. This is a promise I won't break," I say to Rex before standing up again and looking at Corrine, "I can't thank you enough for all of this."

"Don't worry about it," the kindly woman states, "As long as someone from this village can do something with their life, I'm happy."

I nod before turning around and walking off, closing my eyes for a bit, and raising my left hand to say goodbye to them. As I make my way to the harbor, I stay out of the view of the wildlife in the area. I approach the harbor, before paying my fare, and taking a trip to the Titan of Mor Ardain.

* * *

For the next five or so years, I train as part of the military of Mor Ardain, making my way through the ranks, even gaining the respect of Special Inquisitor Morag, the strongest Driver and Soldier in Mor Ardain. I continue training daily, as well as completing any tasks assigned to me, with few failures. I will admit, I have lost a few comrades in the line of duty while protecting the city, but many more made it through. I have gained some battle scars on my body, while also having built up more muscle than I had ever had before I came to Alrest. My skin has also tanned a large amount, due to the exposure to the sun. One day however, I was called upon directly by the Special Inquisitor herself, much to my surprise.

"Special Inquisitor Morag," I state while saluting her, "You called?"  
"Yes," the decorated veteran states, "I have seen your work in the field, and believe that you have capabilities far above your current position."

"What do you mean?" I ask the woman in front of me.

"You have shown leadership capabilities far above your station, even putting yourself in the line of fire to protect a comrade," she begins, "Furthermore, you have shown exceptional ability in reconnaissance."

"I was only performing my duties Special Inquisitor," I begin, looking towards her with a battle hardened gaze, "I did what I thought any other soldier would."  
The special inquisitor closes her eyes for a moment as she gives a small smile, "That's just like you, Lieutenant," she begins, addressing me by my rank, "However, since you have shown these qualities, the Emperor said that he wished to promote you," she pauses while I gape for a moment before continuing, "Therefore, we have made a new position for you in the military."

"Special Inquisitor, I stand by my statement that I did what anyone else would," I begin, "What makes me more worthy of this position than any other?"

"Quite simply," The strongest Driver in Mor Ardain begins, "Your abilities put you above the rest, and not only that, it's that _not_ anyone else would."

"Special Inquisitor…" I start before trailing off, "Thank you. Tell me, what is my position, and what are your orders for me?"

"Straight to the point as always I see," the raven haired woman begins, "You are now the Ardanian Master of Reconnaissance. To commemorate this position, we give you this."

Morag's Blade, Bridghid, enters carrying an ornate wooden box. Morag takes the box from her Blade, before thanking her, while she hands the box to me. They both watch as I begin to open the box. As I open it a crack, a blue glow emanates from within the box. Opening it fully, I see the source. A core crystal.

"Special Inquisitor, are you sure about this?" I ask, my eyes wide with surprise, "Only the highest ranking members of the army get these!"

"It is fine," the blue-haired Blade begins, "You are, after all, the highest position in the Reconnaissance Division of the Ardanian Army now."

Returning my attention to the Core Crystal, I respond, "Of course. I am honored to have this from you."

I remove the Core Crystal from the box before grasping the glowing stone tightly. The faint glow soon changes to a blinding light as the Core Crystal begins to hover in front of me. As the glow fades, all of us in the room see the form of my Blade. His body and face are heavily scarred, even to the point of one of his eyes being blind. His functioning eye has a violet iris, and he has an intense gaze. He wears a cloak, under which is an army uniform adorned with medals. His left arm is entirely made of bone, with a deep violet aura around it, that appears as if it were made of flame.

"My name is Specter," the newly awakened Blade declares, "My weapons are yours to use, commander."


	3. Chapter 2: Intelligence

Chapter 3:  
Intelligence

Looking over my newly awakened Blade, I notice the weapons in the holsters by his sides. "Specter, could you show me your weapons?" I request.

"Of course, commander," the rugged Blade replies, "As I said, my weapons are yours to use." Drawing the weapons from his holsters, they are revealed to be twin blasters, similar to pistols. There are lines along the sides of the blasters, giving off a violet glow. I take hold of the weapons, before removing my normal pistols from the holsters at my sides, and placing the new blasters into them.

The Blade of the Special Inquisitor begins to speak, "I have to say, I wasn't expecting a Blade with a unique weapon."

"Indeed," the Special Inquisitor continues, "A Blade such as this was unexpected."

"Special Inquisitor," I begin to ask, "What are your orders for me?"

The Special Inquisitor firmly gives her orders, "You are to accompany Bridghid to Gormott, as well as gather information on the Consul Dughall," she pauses briefly before continuing, "We have received reports that the Consul has been working with an unknown party to gain power. Your orders are to find out what he is doing."

" _Gormott…"_ I think to myself, " _Alright, I know what I have to do."_

"Of course, Special Inquisitor," I begin, "As soon as I learn Specter's skills. I will report to you. Specter, let's go."

The battle hardened Blade nods to me, before following me out of the building.

* * *

Entering the wastes of Mor Ardain, I find a spot free of the wildlife to learn arts tied to my new Blade's weapon. If I don't know any arts, I have almost no ability to fight back. Learning more about Specter, his weapons are classified as Ether Blasters, and with a chip I obtained from the garrison, I upgraded them to Shade Blasters, which kept their basic design. Apparently, the Ether Blasters are classified as a Tank weapon. His element is Dark, which will be very useful once Mythra makes herself known. Finally, my Arts from the Ether Blasters. Firstly, as is necessary for any Tank, the ability to draw aggro, which I get with Warning Shot. I can blast enemies away when they crowd around me with Detonation Burst. If one of my allies Breaks an enemy, I can Topple the enemy with High Caliber. Finally, I can lower the hit/evade rate of enemies in an area with Flash Pistol. After bidding my goodbyes to my comrades in the garrison, I report to Morag to head to Gormott.

* * *

Arriving at the Torigoth Base, the first thing I notice is how much clearer the air here feels compared to Mor Ardain, even in the cold, metallic base, I can still feel the presence of nature much more than I could before. The _second_ thing I notice is that worthless rat, Dughall.

"Ah, welcome, Lady Bridghid to Gormott!" The pathetic Consul exclaims, "I hope that you had a nice trip? Ah, and this must be your esco-" He stops as he is suddenly cut off by Specter standing in front of him, his intimidating presence shutting the rat up. I must admit, a smirk drew across my face as I saw the Consul shaking in fear.

"Watch your tongue," my Blade starts, a scowl on his face, "You speak to the Reconnaissance Chief of the Army of Mor Ardain."  
"Specter," I speak in a commanding tone, "Return to me, he clearly was not updated on the current events of the army," though I still couldn't help but keep my smirk at the worthless rat's fear, "Anyways," I continue, turning to Bridghid, "I have a few things that I need to pick up, but I'll return as soon as I can."  
"Of course," the flame wielding Blade stated, "I will meet with you again later."  
I nod to Bridghid and say, "Come, Specter," before walking away towards Torigoth, while also purposefully bumping into the Consul a bit. As we walk into Torigoth, the docks are fairly busy with trade, people coming and going. Proceeding further, we eventually reach the marketplace for our main purpose. We head to the Textiles shop first, so that I can order some new clothes made. After the order for that is placed, I sit around for a bit at the cafe. Eventually, my order is complete, and I go to pick it up. Heading to the inn, I go inside to get changed, coming out in my new outfit. I wear a brown belt with gold buckle that I got back in Mor Ardain, combined with a pair of ankle length tan pants. Covering my torso is a forest green shirt, over which is a brown vest. After that's done with, I return to the Torigoth Relay Base to report to Bridghid. On the way over however, I see 2 figures dashing by the area behind the inn, one clad in blue, and one almost entirely red. " _It's begun,"_ I think to myself, before running behind them, and opening the hidden door to Tora's House up a crack. Seeing the figures enter, I gently close the door before leaving and hurrying to Dughall's office.

"Specter," I begin, "Let's get moving."

"Of course commander," The stoic Blade responds, before following along without question.

Upon reaching the Consul's office, we listen in on the conversation from just outside.

"Say, Padraig," The rat bastard begins, speaking with a heavy accent, "Do you remember what my orders were?"

"Sir?" The Ardanian Captain responds with a question.

"I told you to capture the Blade with the emerald Core Crystal, did I not?" The Consul asks, "Do you recall me ever telling you to capture some little girl with barely a bounty on her head?"

"B-but sir, she's a member of Torna-" The captain tries to interject.

"I'll say it slowly for you, just so we're clear," The Consul speaks, annoyance littering his tone, "Get. The Blade. With. The emerald-"

"Um, Consul Dughall, sir?" The captain interrupts with a question.

"What?" The Consul asks, his anger threatening even further to slip out.

"I-I'm not exactly sure what color 'emerald' is supposed to be..." Padraig says aloud, his incompetence in general being proven in a single sentence.

"Commander?" Specter asks me in a whisper, "How… did someone that idiotic get to that high of a position?"  
I take a moment to think on it before responding, "I have no idea Specter."

We then hear a crash coming from inside. Peering past the door frame, just enough to see what happened, we see Captain Padraig knocked unconscious on the ground. An Ardanian Soldier then rushes past us, before hurrying into the room. Specter and I take a moment to realize just how incompetent these soldiers are due to how this one didn't even notice us standing right there.

"My apologies, sir!" The soldier exclaims, continuing a conversation that we missed the start of, "It's just that Lady Morag has…"

"What!?" The Consul angrily demands him to continue.

"Special Inquisitor Morag has just arrived from the motherland," the soldier finally gets out.

"Specter," I begin to relay an order to my Blade, "That's our cue, let's get out of here."

The rugged Blade nods in response to the order, before we both hurry over to the base.

* * *

We reach the dock of the base just before the Titan Ship begins open. Specter and I stand at attention, waiting for Morag to exit. Dughall then joins us, much to our dismay, alongside multiple Ardainian soldiers. As Morag approaches the Consul begins to speak, again, much to our dismay.

"Special Inquisitor Morag!" the greedy fool begins, "To what do we owe this extreme pleasure? Had we but heard of Your Grace's visit we could have prepared a suitable…"

"*cough*Brown noser*cough*" I subtly interject.

"I don't stand on ceremony, Consul," the strongest Driver in Mor Ardain interrupts, "I'd rather you just did your job," She finishes before turning to me, "Reconnaissance Chief Cyrus," Have you found any info regarding your current objective?"

"Y-your Grace?" The Consul tries to interject, "Someone of your standing deserves to be treated as such! You are His Majesty's representative!"

"Shut up!" I exclaim, facing Dughall, a vein pulsing on my forehead in annoyance, and my fists clenched, "We are trying to discuss professional matters here, ones that could potentially relate to the security of Mor Ardain, but you can't help but be a brownnosing idiot. If she wanted, the Special Inquisitor could have you fired for this!" I finish before panting heavily. Dughall looks at me, completely terrified, while Specter looks at me in awe. I also notice that Bridghid had arrived just as I had begun my tirade.

"Well that was certainly something. I wasn't expecting you to be one to display such…" the flame wielding blade pauses, thinking of the correct word, "Ferocity."

I look to Bridghid, "Well, I try to keep that side of myself under control," I respond, straightening myself.

Morag focuses on me, "Clearly you have more facets to yourself then we imagined," she then turns to Bridghid before continuing, "If we have found the Aegis, then there is no time to waste. But I fear this passage has taken its toll on our engines."  
The rat finds his voice before speaking up, "The Aegis? H-how do you-?!"

Somehow in perfect sync, Morag and Specter both say, "Is there a problem, Dughall?" It took everything I had not to laugh at that.

Far more intimidated then he was in the original scene, he utters a weak, "N-not at all, Your Grace."

"Good," Morag replies, "Now, you've captured a Driver from Torna. I am going to speak with her."

"As will I," I continue.

"Wha-?" the imbecilic Consul begins, before cutting himself off, "Why do you want-"

"Dughall," the Special Inquisitor and I say at the same time, "I don't remember asking for your opinion."

"Y-yes, Your Grace!" He stutters out in fear, "I'll take you to her right away!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" I mutter, before going with the Special Inquisitor and her Blade, with Specter following close behind.

* * *

We reach the Consul's office in just a few minutes time, ready to begin the interrogation. Nia stands there, surrounded by Ardanian guards. Morag stands behind the desk, and Bridghid is off to Nia's side. I stand at the door, with Specter beside me.

The Tornan Driver turns to Bridghid, before closing her eyes, and turning away with a "Hmph."

"So, you are the Torna ruffian," Morag states, confidence obvious in her voice, "I must say you look a little different from your poster," she continues, with amusement clear in her voice.

"A _LITTLE_ different!?" the yellow clad Gormotti begins, "Whoever drew that should be the one in jail!"

The Special Inquisitor gives a small laugh before responding, "Yes, I would be angry too."  
"You can drop the friendly act," the ex-Torna member states, folding her arms and turning away.

"You won't name your friends?" Morag asks.

"My friends?" Nia asks, "I'm not so sure I'd call those trigger-happy Torna goons 'friends'."

Morag closes her eyes before responding, "I see," she begins, opening her eyes, "I think we have our wires crossed here. I am not talking about Torna."

"Huh?" Nia asks, confused, "You're not?"

"No," the Special Inquisitor confirms, "I was referring to your more recent traveling companions. The Driver boy and his Blade."

"Rex and Pyra?" The younger woman replies.

" _That's my cue,"_ I think to myself, "Lady Morag," I speak aloud, "I feel I should take this interrogation from here."  
"What do you mean?" Morag asks, "We have gotten the identities of her friends from her. Surely that is all we needed."  
"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't," I reply, "It is my job to get as many of the facts as possible. Aside from that, I would like to prevent false accusations."

"I see," Morag responds, "then you have my permission to continue the interrogation from here."  
"Of course, Lady Morag," I begin, "However, I'd like to ask one more thing of you."

"Name it."  
I take this time to straighten myself, "I'd like everyone aside from the accused, Specter, and myself to leave this room."

The imbecile opens his mouth again to speak, "W-what are you thinking!?" he exclaims, "She's a wanted terrorist!"

I smirk at him, "Funny," I start, my grin widening, "Why do you care now about, and I quote, 'Do you ever recall me telling you to capture some little girl with barely a bounty on her head?' Hmm?" I must admit, seeing the look of pure and utter terror on his face amused me far more than it should have.

"Is what he said true, Consul Dughall?" The Special Inquisitor asks with a fierce glare.

"N-not at all, Lady Morag!" He manages to stutter out, "After all, I would never do such a thing as-"

I glare once more at the Consul, "Anyways, shut up and leave me be. I have work to do."

"O-of course, sir!" The Consul exclaims, rushing out of the room.

"I'll leave you to it," the elder Driver begins, "I trust you. Come, Bridghid."

"Yes, Lady Morag."

Once everyone except for us three has left, Specter watches the door, under my orders. "So, your name is Nia, correct?" I inquire.

"Hmph," She pouts, "I don't have to tell you anything."

I let out a sigh, "Alright, look," I begin, sitting down on the Consul's table, "I could have let Morag throw you in a cell. Keywords here being 'could have'. I didn't want that. I wanted cooperation," I stand up and move to the desk before continuing, "Rex… always wanting to help people, really, he just can't help it."

"Wha-what do you know about Rex?" the "Gormotti" girl asks.

"Simply put," I respond, a solemn smile adorning my face, "He saved my life. It was on the shores of Fonsett Island, in the Leftherian Archipelago. I had just washed up, apparently. Was barely breathing from what I heard. That boy, at 10 freaking years old, dragged me to Fonsett Village for treatment. I owe that kid everything."

"What the-" she begins before cutting herself off, "Wait, how do I know you're not lying to me?" She asks.

"Yeah, I should've known this would happen," I mutter to myself, "Alright, Specter, keep watch over her," I order, "I have something to take care of."

 **AN: Alright everyone! Next chapter is where the big changes start happening! Everything up until now? That was just setup. Needed to get the characters in place and all. Anyways, hope you are all enjoying this fic! Until next time, this is Maximusace9, signing off!**


	4. Chapter 3: Mission

**Hello readers! Maximusace9 here, starting this chapter off with an extremely important update! As you already know, I don't know when I'll be able to update due to school, but that schedule is about to get a lot more unpredictable, because I just got the college acceptance letter from my dream school! Now, that doesn't mean I'll stop entirely. Not at all. I won't stop until this fic is complete, but it does mean that I may have to take random hiatuses. Anyways, once again, thank you for reading, and now, let's get to the chapter!**

Chapter 3:

Mission

After having left Specter with Nia, knowing that she won't show what she really is, I return to the Torigoth Relay Base to report to Morag.

"Ah, Reconnaissance Chief Cyrus," She addresses me, "I presume you have more info from the Tornan operative?"

I stand at attention before responding, "Not much," I reply, "but what I was able to get is extremely important."

"Excellent. And where is the prisoner?" Morag inquires.

"Under guard by Specter at the Consul's office," I respond, "She won't be getting out."

"Good. We shall go retrieve her now," The Special Inquisitor begins, before turning to her Blade, "Come, Bridghid."

"Before you go," I interject, "I have another request to make."

"Go on," Morag answers, looking at me in interest.

"I believe that we can use the capture of this girl as a test of the Aegis' Driver."

"Are you mad!?" The Special Inquisitor exclaims in surprise, "That is the most powerful Blade in existence! She could destroy us all!"

"And that is exactly my point," I calmly respond, "The reason I requested to take over the interrogation was because of the name of the Aegis' Driver."  
"What do you mean by that?" Bridghid asks, trying to find the meaning in my words.

"Simply put, I know the Aegis' Driver," I reply.

"WHAT!?" Morag exclaims, "This is a matter of national security! Tell us who he is at once!"

"Calm yourself, Lady Morag," I reply, barely holding off cowering in fear of her presence, "I know that he is the kind of person who would only do harm to save lives. Rex is a kind boy, one who would only hurt those who would harm others."

"Alright then," the Special Inquisitor replies with a glare that would terrify even the mightiest of beasts, "Tell me, what is your plan?"

At this point I am barely managing to avoid completely passing out out of fear, "W-well, Lady Morag," I manage to get out, "We could lure him here with the girl, and as he rescues her, we could watch how many he actually kills, and how many he injures, as well as fighting him ourselves. We would put him in a situation where we think his only option would be to kill us. He will find a way other than killing."  
"And what if our soldiers die?" She asks, the ferocity of her glare intensifying.

" _Architect help me,"_ I think to myself before replying, "Should he kill anyone, I will face the consequences for it."

"I see," she replies, turning off her glare, "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Y-yes," I respond, panting heavily and catching my breath, "We watch… Dughall… Knowing him… He won't give up… a chance… to get… the… Aegis… Then… we kill… two birds… with one… stone…"

"Hmm…" The Special Inquisitor hums in consideration, "Alright, we will proceed with your plan. But remember," She pauses, glaring once again, "Every death is on your head."

"Y-yes, Lady M-morag!" I squeak out, "I will accept any punishment delivered to me!"

"Good," she finishes replying to me, "Come, Bridghid, we will retrieve the prisoner, as well as the Reconnaissance Chief's Blade."  
"At once Lady Morag." Her Blade replies.

As soon as the two of them leave, I fall to my knees before rolling onto my back, "Architect give me strength…"

* * *

A while later, Specter and I watch from the vents as a Nopon, an artificial Blade, the Aegis herself, and her Driver begin to fight through our soldiers. We watch our soldiers closely, and find that none of the wounds are fatal, only enough to knock them out. After a while, I report back to Morag at the entrance to the Relay Base.

"Lady Morag," I begin my report, "None of the soldiers have been fatally injured. All of them have only been knocked unconscious."

"Excellent," she replies, "It seems that your plan is working far better than I expected."

"Indeed," Bridghid continues, "I would have thought that at least one soldier would be dead."

Almost immediately after, Specter rushes in, carrying an unconscious, and barely breathing Dughall, "I have retrieved the Consul, Commander," the battle-scarred Blade reports to me, "It seems that he was after the Aegis for himself after all."

"Well then, we will see to it that he receives a suitable punishment," The Special Inquisitor replies.

"Quiet, they're coming," I interrupt, hearing the sound of boots colliding with metal at a hurried pace, "Are you ready, Specter?"

"Of course, Commander," my Blade replies, "I am ready to engage."

"Good," I reply to him, "Then let's get to combat."

After Morag enters shortly after, the fight proceeds as normal, to the point where Pyra weakens the legs of the Water Tower for Poppi to pull down with Rex.

"Detonation Burst!" I exclaim, firing at the top of the tower from the opposite side, the blast leaving a hole in the tower, releasing the water away from Morag and Bridghid.

"What!?"

"Meh-meh-meh!?"

"Are you kiddin'?"

"It can't be!"

"Plan has… Failed?"

"My Lady!"

All six members of Rex's group exclaim in surprise at their plan failing.

"Well Morag, I'd say that _our_ plan was completely successful, was it not?" I ask.

Rex gasps, before speaking up, "It can't be… is that?"

"I told you that we'd meet again… Rex," I reply with a soft smile.

"Cyrus! Are you here to fight against us?" The Aegis' Driver asks, "B-because if you are… I w-won't hesitate to stop you!"

"Meh-meh-meh!?" The Nopon exclaims in surprise, "How Rex know army-man!?"

I turn to the Nopon, before answering his question, "He saved my life."

"No way…" Nia murmurs, "He wasn't kiddin'!"

"Anyways," I begin, "I'm not here to fight."  
"Y-you're not?" Pyra asks, confused.

I smirk, looking at Rex and his group, before turning to Morag and helping her and Bridghid up, "Not at all," I reply to the group, "In reality, this was a test. One with high stakes… for me."

"Indeed Reconnaissance Chief Cyrus," Morag replies, "Had he failed this test, you would have been stripped of your rank, and likely executed."

"Yeah…" I reply, rubbing the back of my head, "Don't remind me…"

"What are you talking about!?" Rex asks.

Looking to him, Morag answers his question, "Simply put," she begins, "this was a test to see if you were a worthy Driver of the Aegis. If you had killed anyone on the base, you would have failed."

"B-but Dughall!" The Brown haired boy stutters out.

"Is alive," I reply, "And is going to receive severe punishment chosen by the Emperor."

"Correct," Bridghid continues, "And you have passed the test. We will no longer pursue you or the Aegis."

Specter begins to glare at the party, "My Commander put everything on the line for you. You had better be grateful."

As the group of Drivers and Blades flinches back, I call my Blade off, "Specter," I begin in a commanding tone, "Stand down."

Specter turns, but not before turning his head and glaring one more time at the group before returning to my side.

"However," Morag begins, surprising me, "Even still, we will need someone to monitor you, as the Aegis on her own may still prove dangerous to the Empire of Mor Ardain," She pauses, before turning once more to me, "Therefore, Reconnaissance Chief Cyrus, I am appointing you to monitor the Driver of the Aegis."

"Lady Morag, do you mean…?" I ask, trailing off.

"Yes, your new orders are to go with the Aegis' Driver." She replies.

Bridghid steps forwards before continuing, "I expect you to report to us when you next have the opportunity to."

My Blade and I both stand at attention, before responding, "Yes, Lady Morag/Lady Bridghid! We won't let you down!"

The Special Inquisitor smiles softly before beginning to walk away. "Well then, I shall take my leave. Bridghid?"

"Of course, Lady Morag," The Blade of Azure Flames replies, before following.

"Alright!" Rex shouts in happiness, "You get to come with us! I'm gonna have to introduce you to everybody!"

I approach the young salvager before ruffling his hair, "Woah, slow down there Rex, one thing at a time."

"They're just like brothers," Pyra states, a smile on her face.

"Tora would never have thought that Rex-Rex had such important friend!" the Nopon Engineer exclaims.

"Poppi surprised too, Masterpon!" the Artificial Blade responds to Tora.

"Hmm?" I hum in question, "What is she? She doesn't seem like any Blade I've seen before," I finish, keeping up the idea that I am from this world.

The Artificial Blade perks up before replying, "That because Poppi is Artificial Blade!" She exclaims, "There no one else like Poppi in world!"

My eyes glow in excitement, before replying, "Seriously!? This is amazing! The potential scientific advancements from her are massive! You must allow me to assist you with this project!"

"Meh-meh-meh!?" Tora gets out in surprise, "New friend that interested in Poppi?!"

"Of course!" I reply in excitement, while Specter sighs in the background at my shenanigans, "Such a grand invention must receive only the best in engineering! As it just so happens, I was particularly adept in engineering before joining the Army of Mor Ardain, so I bet I could assist greatly in maintaining and upgrading her engineering!"

"Wow wow! Tora is very impressed with new friend! Tora bet Cyrus and Tora together could make Poppi strongest she could ever be!"  
"Oh great," Nia mutters to herself, "There's two of them now."

* * *

Eventually, once everyone had been introduced to each other fully, we make our way back to Gormott.

"Hey," Rex begins to ask me, "If you're in such a high position in the army, why couldn't you get us a ship?"

Specter actually is the first to reply, surprisingly, "That is because, despite his high position, my Commander wouldn't be able to convince the Special Inquisitor to give him a ship to take him somewhere that might not even exist."

"Elysium is real though!" Rex exclaims, "I saw it with my own eyes."  
"That may be true, Rex," I respond, "But not everyone has seen it before, so we can't actually prove anything to them."

"Don't worry!" the smallest member of our group speaks up, "Tora knows where friends can get ship!"

"Ah, you do Tora!?" Rex exclaims in surprise, "That's great! We can make it to the World Tree in no time!"

As we head to the area where Tora's uncle is, we are attacked by a pack of wild Feris. Rex rushes straight in, leading the charge against the Feris, with Pyra by his side, cutting down the ferocious beasts left and right. Meanwhile, Tora and Poppi get close in, while trying to draw the enemies attention away from Rex. Nia makes quick strikes, supporting all of us. I however stay from the back and fire away, drawing attention from Rex and Nia, and luring the enemies towards myself while continuing to fire.

"Come at me!" I exclaim, repeatedly firing my pistols at the enemies, drawing their attention. Unfortunately for us, the pack leader, known as Sad Bernard, had finally noticed us.

"Ah! Rex-rex!" Tora shouts in panic, "Big scary monster has noticed us!"  
Rex grips the weapon of the Aegis tightly while he responds, "That ain't good."

Pyra then looks around before noticing my situation, "Rex!" she shouts to her Driver, "Cyrus is surrounded!"

"Masterpon!" Poppi exclaims, "What should Poppi do now!?"

I smirk, before firing off an Art, "Detonation Burst!" The shot fires off to the Feris in the middle of the others, blasting all of them away, "Come on guys," I start, cockily, "Did you really think that would get me?" Almost immediately after I finish my question, the Sad Bernard lunges at me. I leap backwards, "OKAY! THAT MIGHT!" I exclaim before issuing an order to my Blade. "SPECTER!"

"Yes, Commander!"

"CATCH!" I yell, tossing him his blasters, before letting Specter's barrier protect me.

Specter catches the blasters, and the dark violet aura around his skeletal arm flares to life, the energy flowing into the blasters, "Darkness flows over the land," he states calmly, before unleashing a hail of darkness from the blasters, covering the whole area in a manner similar to that of a gatling gun. The others watch in awe as the dark bullets pierce our enemy mercilessly. The attack finishes, and the enemy collapses from the assault. All of us rush towards our enemy to finish the job, with fierce cuts, a piercing drill and a hail of bullets. Our enemy finally falls, and we emerge victorious. As we examine what the enemy carried, there was, of all things, a Core Crystal in the loot!

I hand the Core Crystal to Rex, a smile on my face, "Here Rex," I tell the salvager, "You should take this."

"Are you sure?" He asks me, a surprised look upon his face.

"Of course," I respond, "Go ahead, awaken it now."

"Alright," Rex replies to me, grasping the Core Crystal tightly, as it begins to glow.

"Meh-meh-meh! Rex-Rex awakening new Blade!"

"Poppi very interested!"

"It's not that interestin' really."

"My lady, I am sure you will awaken another one soon."

As the light fades, a humanoid form appears in a flash of light, with Black hair, and blue irises, his core crystal taking the shape of a crown. One of his eyes is covered by a gold band. He has a regal appearance. Making a path to a red throne accented with gold, flames with the appearance of smoke flare to life. Upon the throne, the figure sits there, his head resting on his hand, and his legs crossed. "I am Dagas!" the regal looking Blade exclaims. Standing up from his throne, he speaks once more, "Lower your gaze, underling!" and after saying this, an axe appears, with a long, black handle. Forming the head of the axe is a gold body with a regal appearance, and the blades of the axe have the appearance of bright blue flames. Dagas speaks again, walking forward after picking up his axe, "You'll have the honor of being my Driver," He states smugly, "This is a very big moment for you… Don't blow it," and during this last sentence, his smoky flames cover the area, the throne having dissipated during his speech.

" _Oh no,"_ I think to myself, a vein pulsing on my forehead out of annoyance, " _Not this guy…"_ I then approach the rocks where Sad Bernard had situated himself, and without any hesitation, plow my head into them at maximum force. A massive crash enters the ears of the newly awakened Blade, as well as everyone else, and they turn to face me, as well as Specter, his eyes wide and his mouth agape in uncharacteristic surprise.

"Commander!" he shouts, "Are you alright!?"

Turning around, it is revealed that it is the rocks that broke, not my skull, " _YYYYEEEEP_!" I reply, and everyone seems to hear the sarcasm dripping from my voice except for Dagas, "I'm just absolutely frickin' _peachy_! It's not like this newly awakened Blade is an absolute _DICK_ that thinks he's above everybody else! NOOOOOO! IT'S _FIIIIINNNNEEEE_!"

The group, aside from Specter, who has seen me like this before, and Dagas, who is completely unaware of my use of sarcasm, is agape at my reaction.

Somehow in complete sync with each other, the entire group delivers a flat, "What."

I then turn to the group, an absolutely shit-eating grin covering my face, "Welcome to insanity you little shits! Hope you can enjoy it," After not letting this side of myself out for five years, it felt good to let it out again. Also, the looks of pure and utter despair on their faces as to what they had just gotten themselves into was hilarious.

"Oh no."

"Rex, my boy, what have we gotten ourselves into?"

"Gramps, I have literally no idea."

"Poppi! What wrong with friend Cyrus!?"

"Poppi have no idea Masterpon!"

"Dromarch, help me!"

"I am afraid that this is beyond my power my lady!"

"Commander!? What the Hell are you do-" I cut Specter off.

"Shhhhhh… let me have this. I have been keeping this part of myself locked off for five years. I NEED THIS," I speak out.

"What have we done?" The entire group asks in despair, as I enter a fit of uproarious laughter.

"You called for the wild card!" I exclaim before continuing to laugh once more as the group collapses in acceptance of the complete insanity before them.

 **AN: So, how do you like that? Seems that Cyrus isn't as sane as we originally believed! Don't worry, he'll still be sane at the important bits, but during Heart-To-Hearts, which will be labeled as such, and separate from the main chapters, this will be significantly more prominent. Anyways, thanks for reading, and this is Maximusace9, signing off.**


	5. Chapter 4: Travel

**Hey everybody, Maximusace9 here with a new chapter of Specter of Another World! Now, I'd like to thank my reviewers for sticking with me, and I'm glad that all of you are enjoying this fic! Sorry for the delay, New Game + has been taking up much of my time, especially due to the fact that I'm trying to pull all of the Torna Blades, also, school is a thing. I hope that you'll enjoy the shenanigans that Cyrus and the others will get up to during sidequests and Heart-to-Hearts, once I get to them. I may make Heart-to-Hearts a secondary fic. Well anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. P.S. This chapter starts with a bit of therapy, but said "Therapy" will have consequences. I will not make Cyrus a Mary Sue.**

Chapter 4:  
Travel

After my insanity began to slow down, I had to explain to the party about that side of myself.

"I'm not entirely normal," I began to explain, "I've always had this sort of… secondary personality that slips out sometimes."

"That is quite strange…" Azurda replied, "I have never heard of a case such as this in all my years of existence."

"I'll have to agree with you there, Gramps," Rex replied, looking to the tiny Titan, "I was with him for a few months, and I never saw this side of him."

Aside from that, the recently awakened Dagas was off in his own world, examining the former rock that Sad Bernard rested upon, "I must admit, underling," He speaks aloud, "If this is the average power that you all hold, you all might be worth my time yet."

I close my eyes tightly in anger, and a vein on my forehead pulses, as I raise a clenched fist. Specter notices this and speaks up.

"Commander," he speaks to me, "Try to hold back your rage for those who deserve it."

I turn to him, my eyes open, and speak confidently, "Oh, I _am_ ," I reply simply, "This is just me taking out my frustrations on a _willing_ target." I approach Dagas with no subtlety whatsoever, and he turns to me.

"Ah, the one who caused this damage," He looks at me, intrigued, "Tell me, how are you thi-" He is suddenly cut off mid-sentence, by a fierce _CRACK_ as my fist collides with the side of his face, "HOW DARE YOU!" He exclaims in rage, the rest of the group looking on in awe, "I AM A KING, AND YOU SHOULD BE KNEELING BEFO-" His sentence is cut-off once again, as I kick him in the side, knocking him down.

I look down on him, no mercy in my eyes, "Shut up," I say in a calm rage that would make beasts shiver in fear, "You have just awoken, and are now the Blade of this boy here," I continue, pointing to Rex, "And I don't quite think you understand your position," I pause, before pushing my boot down onto his stomach, "You think that you're above everyone else, but I disagree," I put more force onto the boot on his gut, the Blade beginning to gasp for air, "You want to know something? That girl right there, the one with the red hair," I point to Pyra, "That girl is the Aegis, the most powerful Blade on Alrest. She would absolutely _destroy_ you."

"What is he doing?!" Nia hisses to the group.  
Specter walks over before replying to them, "I believe he's getting this new Blade to reconsider his position."

I continue, my glare intensifying, "You want to know what my problem with you is?" I ask, "Your high and mighty attitude pisses me off. A king isn't just someone who rules over others, it's someone who protects their kingdom. Someone who leads their people, and is willing to fight for them," I remove my foot from the "Royal" Blade, and he gasps for air, "Think that through."

Coughing as he begins to stand, the Blade glares to me, "You'll… *gasp* regret this…"

I look back, with no feeling whatsoever in my eyes. "No," I respond, "I don't think I will," I then turn to the group before issuing my orders. "Alright, let's get moving, Tora, your Uncle makes Titan ships, right?"

"Meh-meh-meh!? That right!" The fuzzball responds, "How Cyrus know?"

I smirk before offering my explanation, "Information gathering is my specialty."

On the way over, there are a few close calls getting away from powerful monsters, with Dagas barely offering his help, though we get along fine without him.

"Is there… *gasp* anything else… we need… to deal with?" I ask rhetorically, before a Tirkin appears, and my rage reaches a boiling point. "NO ONE FRIGGIN' ASKED YOU!" I reply before firing a shot of High Caliber right into its face, knocking it unconcious.

The animalistic Blade comments, "I do wonder what kind of upbringing that boy had to make him like this."

Even Specter is confused by this, before thinking to himself with a frown, " _Commander… What are you not telling us?"_

* * *

A bit later, we eventually make it to Umon's house, with Tora requesting the Titan ship the exact same way as in the game. As such, we need to use the pollen orbs to bring back his Titan before he'll make a ship for us, as well as obtain 10 lots of Puzzletree Wood, and 5 lots of Diamond Oak. Quickly returning to Umon with the required items, and having returned the Titan, we set out on the ship for the World Tree. Upon reaching it, we speculate on how we are to get to the tree itself, until Ophion bursts out from the Cloud Sea.

Even having played the game myself, the game could not truly capture the terror of Ophion. The metallic blue, serpentine body, slithering around the cloud sea, exuding a terrifying presence. The singular eye glowing a fierce scarlet, placing fear into the hearts of those who would look into it.

Although I hate to admit it, I was struck with fear at the sight of this creature. I could barely move. My comrades shouting didn't even snap me out of it. I was shaking in fear, until the point where everything turned black.

* * *

I wake up at about the same time as everyone else. Looking around, I see the wreckage of what was formerly our ship.

"Ugh…" I grunt, shaking off the dizziness from just waking up, "Is everyone else alright?"

"Tora is fine, but is bit shaken," The fuzzball begins, rolling to his feet, "Poppi, status report!"

"Poppi operating normally, Masterpon," The Artificial Blade replies monotonously.

"Urgh, I'm fine… a bit dizzy though," The yellow clad Gormotti responds, slowly sitting up.

The white tiger gets to his feet, shaking his head, "I am fine as well, my lady."

"I'm good…" Rex gets out, slowly getting to his feet, "Pyra, Dagas, how about you?"

"I'm fine, Rex," the red haired Blade gets out.

"As am I, underling," the "regal" Blade states calmly, before muttering, "Though I would be better if that fool was further injured."

I hear this and sigh before thinking to myself, " _Should've seen that one coming."_ After that though, I look around and notice that one of us is absent, "Where's Specter?" I ask.

Almost immediately afterwards, Specter appears, "Right here, Commander," he responds in the tone of a soldier reporting to his superior, "I have been scouting the area for any dangers."

"Good work," I say to him with a smile, "What have you got?"

"There appears to be a group of three drivers up ahead," he begins, "They all seem to be fairly skilled, as well as trustworthy individuals."

"Alright," I reply, "Everyone, let's move on ahead."

Everyone follows me, and heads further into the Titan. I take this chance to think to myself, " _Vandham…"_ I trail off in my thoughts, and narrow my eyes, " _I will find a way to save you…"_

* * *

Upon reaching a more open area, and conversing about how we'll leave the titan, a voice interjects.

"Hold it!" we look up, on the stone path above us, and see a rather bulky man, along with a humanoid avian Blade. This is Vandham, and his Blade, Roc.

"Looks like a bunch of mushees I ain't seen yet," He continues.

"Tch," Specter grunts, before attempting to move forward. I raise my arm to block his path before looking back at him, to let this go on.

Vandham continues, "You gotta have pretty damn bad luck, ending up in a Titan's guts like this," he pauses, before noticing Pyra and continuing, "...Huh? That Blade… An emerald Core Crystal!"

Rex grunts, realizing where this encounter is going.

"Bwahahahaha!" Vandham laughs, playing the villain, and really damn well might I add, "So the rumors are true!"

"Huh? What rumors?" Rex asks before I facepalm in response.

"The rumors about the Aegis you imbecile," I reply to my comrade, "Up until now, almost no one could confirm she actually reawakened."

"Your buddy's right, kid!" Vandham responds, "With such a legendary Blade, we're all after it's power!" A smug look adorns his face, "Wouldn't have thought she'd show up with a pencil neck shrimp like you for a Driver, though."

"You think I don't have what it takes?" Rex asks in anger.

"Rex, shut up, and let me take it from here," I interject, "So, I can pretty much tell that from your tone, you aren't letting us go without a fight."

"You got that right! That kid ain't got what it takes to handle the Aegis, so we're here to take it!" Vandham exclaims.

I sigh, knowing that this fight couldn't have been stopped, no matter what I did. "Well then," I reply, drawing my blasters, "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" and with that exclamation, we all rush into battle with Vandham and his colleagues.

I yell to the others, "Go for the one with the Greataxe first!" Nia and Tora listen well, but Rex goes straight for Vandham on his own, "Damnit!" I hiss. In the time it takes for that to happen, the Greataxe user has already taken a swing at me, and while I barely make it out without taking a massive hit, my arm is still grazed by the edge of the weapon. "Nia! A bit of healing, please!"

"You got it!" She replies, "Healing Halo!" she shouts, the ether flowing over us to restore our wounds.

"My Lady, look out!" Yells Dromarch, as Vandham's other comrade, the one with the Megalance goes for a stab at her.

"Don't forget about Tora!" Our fuzzy smaller fuzzy companion states with confidence as he intercepts the blow with his shield.

"Grraaaaaghhh!" Rex grunts in anger as he continues his assault on Vandham, with the larger man parrying every attack.

"We don't have time for this!" I spit venomously, "Nia, stagger him!"

"Sorry," she states, sarcastically "I'm a bit preoccupied," continuing to dodge the stabs of the Megalance.

"Maybe this will get them off your back," I reply, "Flash Pistol!" I shout, firing a pulse of ether from one of my blasters that erupts into a great flash, that blinds the enemy drivers for a moment, which was just enough for me to get a few quick shots onto the Greataxe user. "Nia, Tora, get out of there!" I shout, and knowing my plan, they readily comply.

The enemy drivers look at me in confusion and I smirk, "Detonation Burst!" I shout, firing a large blast of ether from one of my blasters, that erupts into a ball of concussive force, knocking them down.

"Heh," Vandham smirks, "Now you've really done it. Roc, get 'em!" The large man shouts before he tosses his Blade his twin scythes, before a massive tornado comes from the Blade. I try to stand against the force of the winds, but we're all thrown back into the rocky wall, at a fairly high speed.

"GNGH!" I grunt in pain at the impact before falling to my knees, before laughing. Poppi, Tora, Dromarch, and Nia look at me in confusion."  
"What the bloody hell is he on about this time?"  
"My Lady, I fear that I do not know."

"Poppi's analysis indicates that there is 90% chance that Cyrus crazy."

"Poppi! That rude! But also very true…"

The rest of the fight between Rex and Vandham then proceeds as normal, with the exception that after the fight, I continue in the conversation.

"You know that he's right, Rex," I interject, "This man has been a Driver for an extremely long time, so it only makes sense that he would know more about combat then you," I turn to Vandham, "By the way, great job hamming it up while playing the villain," I smack him on the back, "I have to say, you were really convincing."

"Heh, thanks!" He exclaims boisterously, "Anyways, let's head to Garfont Village, we can talk more there."

"Sounds like a plan," I reply, "Any objections?" No one responds, "Good!" I exclaim, "Now then-" Suddenly my pupils narrow, as I fall to my knees again, "I think I need someone to carry me!" I get out in a whisper, as the pain catches up with me.


	6. Chapter 5: Plans

**So… It's been quite a while huh… Almost a whole year. Alright, time to explain where I've been. Firstly, I finished Xenoblade 2, and then basically immediately after, finished NG+, Burning me out for a while, then, right after that, it was time for projects and finals in my Senior year of High School. Then I graduated, and searched for a summer job, ending up getting nothing. After that, I took the rest of the summer getting ready for college. After getting to college, everything went insane. I had serious anxiety attacks, and was failing nearly everything. Now, fortunately, I ended up passing in the end, but it took a lot out of me. Then, finally, I spent winter break recovering from that. So yeah… On the bright side, it means I have had a lot of time to plan this. But I know that this isn't what you're here for. You're here for the fic. Well then. After 10 months, let's get on with the show!**

Chapter 5:

Plans

My return to consciousness was slow, and above anything else, painful. Specter was beside at the entry to the tent, guarding it. Faithful to a fault, that Blade. I begin to stretch out my body, getting up from the cot I was placed in.

"Commander, you're awake!" Exclaims my blade, turning towards me.

I groan while loosening my muscles, "Yep," I crack my knuckles, "Oh sweet _Architect_ that felt good." I turn towards my partner, "So, about how long was I out?"

Another voice interrupts, "You were out for quite a while there. A lot happened."

I respond to the new voice, "Vandham, good to see you. What exactly did happen while I was out?" I question.

The bulky commander of the mercenaries sighs before responding, "Well for one thing, the Driver of the Aegis and his friends went with me to check out some unstable energy readings," He starts before pausing, to let me process this, "It turned out to be a small titan that had been killed by a large Arachno, and the Core Crystal the titan had formed was awakened by the Arachno," He finishes before rubbing at the back of his head while looking away, obviously a nervous gesture.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that something else happened while I was out that didn't go according to plan," I 'Guess', with my foreknowledge of the events that play out.

"Unfortunately, you're damn right," He looks on with a stern gaze, "Some bastard from Torna got into the village, and nearly beat us. Damn good at what he does with his blade too. He can control the flow of ether with her."

"Shit, that's bad," I wince in sympathy, "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that he was after the Aegis too?"

My Blade interjects, "From what I have heard going around the camp, that is exactly correct Commander."

"Friggin' Peachy," I groan, massaging my temples, "Anything else I should know about?"

Vandham takes out something from his pocket, before speaking, "Well, the kid wanted to give ya this," He adds, before revealing the item, an inactive core crystal.

"Thanks for holding onto it for him, Vandham," I reply graciously, "As much as I like the kid, he's seriously prone to losing stuff."

The large man laughs heartily, before replying "No problem! The kid seems pretty bright for his age, at least when it comes to combat though," He pauses, before starting again, "The kids are gonna head with me to Fonsa Myma to learn a bit more about how to get to Elysium. You gonna come?"

I roll back my shoulders and then reply, "Absolutely. My primary mission is to keep an eye on the Aegis and her Driver after all."

The whole group, including Specter and I, begin to make our way towards Fonsa Myma, heading through Jebbas Cavern, before reaching Cobalt Cliffs, where a two strangers seem to be waiting.

"We've been waiting for you," The larger of the two speaks up, dramatically, pulling back his hood.

Rex looks at him with confusion, "And… who would you be?"

Before the man in front of me can begin his whole spiel, I interject with an absolutely massive shit-eating grin on my face, "Well Rex, let me tell you who this mysterious man is."

"Commander, what the hell are you doi-" My steadfast companion begins before I interrupt him, and continue from where I left off.

"This mysterious man who appears before us controls a power like no other," I state while dramatically swinging my arm and pointing towards him, "He is not just any old Driver, oh no, no, no, far from it."

"Tora is… confused…"

"Poppi agrees with Masterpon."

I continue, "This man right here uses the eyepatch upon his left eye to control the ever surging power of his Eye of Shining Justice," I pause, pulling my right arm to my hip as if about to throw a punch, while thrusting my left arm diagonally to my right, "He is the Crown Prince of Tantal," I state, slowly moving my left arm leftwards until it aims diagonally to my left, "The Bringer of Chaos!" I quickly pull my left arm back to my hip, While thrusting my right arm up to the left, "ZEKE! VON! GENBU!" Internally I am having an absolute party because I got to do _That_ pose, while on the outside, I still have that grin spreading across my face.

The entire party stares at me incredulously before Nia lets out a flat, "What."

Meanwhile, the muscular man before us laughs dramatically, "HAHAHAHAH! Yes! It seems my reputation precedes me! That's right! I am Zeke von Genbu! The Bringer of Chaos!"

"So, what do you want, then?" Azurda asks from Rex's helmet.

The Bringer of Chaos grins widely, before replying, "Well let's cut to the chase! I'm here for the Aegis!"

The party begins to walk past him, excluding Specter, who looks like he has seen everything, and myself, while Rex replies, "No thanks."

The Crown Prince and his Blade rush to get in front of the party again, "Well then!" He exclaims, "I guess that you're gonna have to fight us three to get past!"

Our catgirl companion looks at them in confusion, "Are you an idiot? There's only two of ya!"

Zeke turns his head away while closing his eyes and wags his finger smugly, "Oh how wrong you are…" He turns towards us and points his thumb at himself, "Of course there's me, Thunderbolt Zeke!," He faces the Blade beside him and points dramatically, "My Blade and loyal companion Pandoria," said blade takes a smug position while crossing her arms and pushing up her glasses, while the 'Legendary' Driver beside her reaches into his jacket, "And our mascot... " His visible eye widens, before turning and looking everywhere in a panic, "WHERE IS HE!"

Zeke and Blade beside him, now known to the others as Pandoria, look around in a frenzy, calling out their mascot's name, "TURTERS! TURTERS, WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Of course, I already know where Turters is, but I can't let Zeke know that, so once again, a shit-eating grin covers my face when Pyra picks up a small turtle, "Hey there little guy," the Aegis says to the turtle, "are you lost?"

Zeke then turns towards Pyra and notices Turters in her hands, rushing forwards in this strange crouch, "HOW DARE YOU!" The Bringer of Chaos exclaims, "Handling a man's turtle!" At this point in the conversation it is taking everything in my power to not burst out laughing, while Specter still stands behind me looking, dare I say, Shellshocked?

Anyways, now that Zeke has reclaimed his and Pandoria's mascot, they enter a fighting position. Zeke begins to speak again, the grin spreading once more over his face, while retrieving his massive Zweihander from his back, and swinging it dramatically, "This weapon is the Purple Lightning Dreamsmasher, and it will be the sword that defeats you, Driver of the Aegis."

The brunette Driver sighs, before pulling out his weapon, "Welp, I guess we're gonna fight then," He pauses looking at the rest of the party, who pull out their weapons, and then myself. "Uhh… Cyrus, why aren't you getting ready to fight?" He questions me.

Surprisingly, of all people in this group, Dagas interrupts, "It should be obvious to you, commoner," The regal looking Blade speaks up, "A member of another military such as this fool over here can not battle a royal from another land without the possibility of sparking a war."

I actually turn towards the Blade in surprise, "Dagas? Don't you hate me?"

The kingly Blade materializes his weapon before moving to join Rex and the others, then huffs before responding, "Don't get me wrong, peasant, I still despise you. I have simply done some thinking upon what you said, and realized that a king must defend his subjects. I only stated what should be obvious to them."

" _Bloody Tsundere_ ," I mutter to myself while massaging my temples, "Alright then, what about actually getting involved in combat! You hate getting your hands dirty!"

"Indeed I do," He replies, "But it is only fitting, that I, a King, should be involved in a battle with another Royal," the pompous Blade turns to his Driver, "Boy!" He calls to Rex, "Be sure to use me effectively in this battle. A King such as I should not be misused."

The Aegis' Driver stumbles for a bit, before turning to his third Blade and nodding, "Alright, Dagas," The group turns towards Zeke, and gets into their battle stances, "Well then, everyone! Let's go!"

"THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR!" Shouts the Crown Prince of Tantal while rushing forwards into combat, before unleashing one of his arts, "OVERLOAD… THUNDER BEAM!" He thrusts his massive weapon forwards, and a beam of electricity lances straight ahead. The beam makes contact with Rex, as he rushes forwards to meet Zeke's sword with his.

Rolling her eyes, Nia uses a healing art, "Honestly, Rex, Ya need to be more careful."

"HAHAHA! Let him have it kid!" Vandham yells, joining in the clash of swords, "Come on, Roc!" He calls to his Blade.

"Lets get them, Vandham!" The birdlike Blade responds before the two of them unleash a powerful attack that looks to have been practiced for years.

Zeke continues to rush forwards, looking for opportunities to get a massive strike in, before shouting, "NOW!" before unleashing a powerful slash ahead of them, "Dynamic Spark Sword!" The attack successfully hits and pushes Rex backwards. The Driver and Aegis quickly getting back into a combat stance.

Specter finally breaks out of his trance and looks at the battle, "Do they really stand a chance against him?" My Blade asks me.

I nod in response, "Absolutely. They have the tools to get him out of there, they just have to realize it."

Now, Vandham is coming at Zeke non-stop, not giving him an opening to attack, and keeping him on guard. Nia rushes forwards, before unleashing an art, "Butterfly Blade!" She calls out, her Twin Rings striking Zeke's weapon and breaking his guard. "Rex! Now!" The Gormotti calls out to the young Driver.

He nods in confirmation, and aims his right hand towards the Prince, "Anchor Shot! HAH!" The attack lands, and successfully pulls the Bringer of Chaos to the Ground.

"Oof!" The eyepatch wearing enemy grunts as he falls to the ground, "This just isn't fair!" He calls out, to no one in particular.

"DAGAS!" Rex calls out, and the regal Blade switches in.

"Finally, I almost thought you had forgotten," Dagas says as he looks down at his Driver, "Alright then, let's finish this."

"You got it!" He comes at the Crown Prince wielding Dagas' Regal looking Greataxe, "STRONG SMASH!" A powerful axe blow slams down on Zeke, dealing massive damage.  
The prince of Tantal winces as he begins to rise, "Not bad there chum, but let's see if you can deal with this! MY ULTIMATE ATTACK!"

I turn to my Blade, "Specter, get ready to move."

He nods, with confusion evident in his expression, "Alright Commander, but why?"

"No time," I reply, "I'll explain later."

"BRINGER OF CHAOS!" The enemy Driver calls out dramatically, "ULTIMATE LIGHTNING FURY SLASH… MAX!" He finishes as his weapon impacts the ground, with the kanji for the word Ultimate appearing on the ground.

The party looks at him in confusion, since nothing happened, then the cliff begins to shake, before shattering beneath the Prince. His eyes then widen as he and his Blade begin to fall.

"NOW!" I yell out rushing towards the falling duo with Specter, Jumping off the cliff.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Nia shouts in anger and confusion.

I grin wildly, letting the adrenaline take over, "DON'T WORRY!" I shout, "I'LL MEET YOU ALL AT FONSA MYMA!"

"CYRUS!" Rex shouts at me, "DON'T TAKE TOO LONG!"

By that point, I'm already reaching the ground and catching up to the overdramatic Prince and his Blade. My plans have been set in motion.

I pull out my Blade weapons from their holsters and aim towards the ground. "HIGH CALIBER!" I cry out, firing a strong blast from my Ether Blasters at the ground, slowing my descent when we've almost approached the ground. Even still, my legs were shaking from the impact. After regaining my balance, I look around for the prince and his Blade. Thankfully, they were just behind us.

"Oi," I state, looking at the KO'd Driver and Blade in front of me, "Wake up."

"Nnngh… Five more minutes…" Groans Pandoria, drowsily, while rolling over.

I turn to my partner, "Blades normally wouldn't get knocked out after something like this, right?" I ask him.

"Correct, Commander," The battle scarred Blade replies, "A Blade at full power, would normally not need recovery from a fall such as this…"

"While a human would need a significant amount, and not be simply knocked out," I continue. While I already know what Zeke is, Specter can't know that, "The only way I can see this happening is if the Prince over here is a Blade Eater."

Upon hearing those words, the Prince's violet garbed Blade immediately snaps out of her daze, "How do you know that!" She shouts angrily, unknowingly rousing the Prince from his daze as well.

"Pandy… what is it this time," Zeke groans childishly, "Can't this wait?"

Anger visible in her eyes, even behind the overly reflective lenses of her glasses, Pandoria replies, "My Prince, this man knows about your secret!" she shouts pointing at the left side of Zeke's chest.

I interject, "Lady, 90 percent of my job is gathering intelligence, when you put the pieces together, it's pretty obvious," I roll my eyes.

"E-even still, there's no way you could have figured it out that quickly!" Pandoria turns to me and exclaims.

The prince sighs and joins the conversation, "It's fine Pandy," he says, putting his hand on his Blade's shoulder, "Give them a chance to explain themselves," then glaring at Specter and I, "And then explain why they followed us."

I sigh, and turn to Specter, "Think you can take the first part?"

"Affirmative, Commander," My comrade replies, before turning to the duo in front of us, "The first thing that was obvious to my Commander and I was that, looking at your Blade's Core Crystal, there was a section missing. Already a sign that that Blade was used to create a Blade Eater."

"Thank you, Specter," I interject with gratitude, "I'll continue from here."  
My partner nods, "Of course, Commander."

"Alright, so, continuing from what my partner said, you two share an extremely close bond," I start, looking directly at the pair in front of us, "I would be absolutely insane if the person made into a Blade Eater with her core wasn't you," I walk towards them before continuing, "Furthermore, a normal Blade would be just fine after a fall like what you two just went through, and a normal human would have broken several bones, even with their Blade's protection."

The Bringer of Chaos sighs, "That's fair, chap," He then glares at me again, "But that still doesn't explain why you came after us."

 _"Alright, showtime,"_ I tell myself mentally, before speaking, "To be honest, I need you two's assistance."

The Driver and Blade standing before me stare blankly, "Seriously?" Pandoria asks, with quiet surprise.

"To give you both the context of my position, I am the Reconnaissance Chief of the Army of Mor Ardain, and I have intel that the Terrorist Group known as Torna is here in Uraya," I tell the Tantalians before me, and pause before continuing, "I have reason to believe that their primary goal, for currently unknown reasons is to secure the Aegis for their own benefit."

Pandoria is the first to respond, as Zeke is still processing the fact that someone needs his skills, "Ok, that seems pretty important, but why US?" the female Blade asks with emphasis.

I take a breath before responding, "I have a few reasons," I begin before raising one finger, "Firstly, the both of you need the Aegis for something, correct?" They nod in response, "Then that's already one point, if they have the Aegis, you two won't have any access to it, while if you join me, I can smooth things over with the group," I raise two fingers, then continue, "Reason two," I point directly to Zeke, "We can use this as a way to increase relations between Mor Ardain and Tantal, creating a political alliance between the governments of our kingdoms."

The Crown Prince gives me a firm nod, "Those reasons make sense chap," He replies, "I'm going to guess that there's a bit more to that, am I right?"

I nod, confirming his statement, "You got it in one, Prince," I state before walking a bit away from the two, "Specter here actually saw one of the members attack my friends while I was knocked out at Garfont Village," I turn back towards them, "From what the others said, combined with what Specter saw, he was a shifty bastard, even able to block the flow of Ether with help from his Blade," I turn back towards Fonsa Myma, "From what I can tell, they know, at the very least, that the Aegis is heading towards the capital. And with how much of a shifty bastard Akhos, the member the others saw at Garfont is, he's probably not above taking a hostage to convince the Aegis to come alone."

Pandoria is next to reply, "But what does that have to do with us?" She asks.

"Simply put," I begin, lowering my head, "If we lose the Aegis, Rex loses his dream, Torna gets to do whatever they want, and no one will be able to stop them," I turn back to the Bringer of Chaos and his Blade, "Akhos doesn't know that you two or Specter and I are here yet, so we need to screw up his plans in every way possible," I look up, fire in my eyes, "So we're gonna introduce an unknown variable into his perfect little equation," I walk towards the two once more, "So, you want to Bring some Chaos?" I take out my hand, presenting it to the prince for a handshake.

"Now you're speaking my language chap!" He states, accepting the handshake "I'm in!"

"Excellent," I reply, finishing the handshake and then turning to my Blade, "Specter, at this moment, let it be known that the Crown Prince of Tantal and his Blade, are now officially allies of the kingdom of Mor Ardain," I finish stating before thinking to myself, " _And Hopefully… This will be enough to save him."_

 **A/N: WHOOO! Got this whole chapter done from start to finish in ONE DAY! Trust me, I have had so many ideas for how this meeting was going to play out, that I had so much trouble settling on one, which was another reason this chapter took so long to finish! Next chapter is gonna be a big one too, so I have no idea how long that one will take. Anyways, from this point on, it's going to be a lot easier for me to write this fic, because from now on, I don't have to rely on the original cutscenes as resources to finish these! Furthermore, my class schedule is significantly less packed, so I have a lot more time to write. Homework will still be priority one though. Anyways, there a few more things that I'd like to say. Firstly, the original draft for this chapter that I completely scrapped for this version, had Cyrus joining in on the speech Vandham made, which would give it less emotional impact, so yeah, scrapped that one. Secondly, anyone who knows their Kamen Rider should know the pose Cyrus takes when he's introducing Zeke. That's all for the real author's notes today, but I do have a few announcements for all of you. Sometime during this fic, or after it ends, I'm planning to do a few spinoff fics. Specifically, ones for major sidequests, Heart-to-Hearts, Blade Quests, and Challenge mode. Those ones will come out a lot more sporadically, since those ones are going to be almost entirely original. Furthermore, I'd like to let you all know that yes, I do plan to introduce the DLC Blades at some point. The Challenge Mode Blades will be left specifically to the spinoffs, due to their nature. Finally, I'd just like to say thank you, to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed this fic. Seeing the fact that I still had followers, even during my absence is what made me come back right now. Thanks.**


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